When Rhett Butler enlisted.
- Feb 28
- 2 min read
In order to put an end to the Final Solution, the complete defeat of Nazi Germany and Adolf Hitler was imperative. It is difficult for us to imagine today how many individual contributions, how many individual lives were required to secure victory.
One such contribution was made by none other than Clark Gable, the gorgeous Rhett Butler known worldwide by movie fans.
Clark Gable was actually beyond the age of required military service, but he volunteered none the less. His decision was undoubtedly influenced by the tragic death of his wife, Carol Lombard, who had been killed in a plane crash just months before while on a war bond tour. He enlisted as a private in the Army Air Force on Aug. 12, 1942 in Los Angeles, attended Officers' Candidate School, and graduated as a second lieutenant just two and a half months later. He was then sent to aerial gunnery school, and in February 1943, he went to England to make a motion picture of aerial gunners in action.
He was assigned to the 351st Bomb Group and flew operational missions in B-17s to obtain the combat film footage he felt was essential for producing the film. He safely completed that filming in the summer of 1943. Ironically, however, while he survived bombing missions over Europe, his Gone with the Wind co-star, Leslie Howard, was killed that same summer when his civilian plane was shot down by the Nazis. How crushing it must have been to lose his wife and the man with whom he shared such an important part of his life within just months of one another and in such similar ways.
The live-action film Combat America was completed in October of 1943 and Clark Gable served as its narrator. It would be another two years before Nazi Germany was defeated, and the ultimate cost of that victory was one we can scarcely imagine… paid for by millions… including the famous Rhett Butler…
With thanks to Clark Gable, and all the unnamed heroes whose contributions we will never know. Combat America can still be found on YouTube.
